


Intertwining Fate

by glockcourage



Category: Naruto
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-02-25
Updated: 2017-07-27
Packaged: 2018-09-26 20:40:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 10,544
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9921332
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/glockcourage/pseuds/glockcourage
Summary: The Kazekage wanted his first born to be male, forcing the medic to make a switch. Years later, the secret of the past still linked the Kazekage's lazy son and the Nara's blonde daughter. An AU.





	1. Prologue

****Prologue** **

The Fourth Kazekage was known over Suna to be a hard and ruthless man. Even his wife, Karura, lived in fear and, when she got pregnant with their first child, that fear extended for her first born. The Kazekage demanded that his heir be the strongest in the nation. Needless to say it had to be a male. Knowing this, Karura devised a plan that would protect her child no matter what.

The Kazekage had to visit Konoha on the eight month of his wife's pregnancy. Karura felt relieved but that was only because she thought she would be left behind in Suna. The Kazekage, however, ordered her to come with him. In the end, the three day travel had left the expectant mother tired and anxious. Upon arrival in Konoha, her health deteriorated somewhat.

The Kazekage had left his wife's care in the capable hands of the Konoha's medic, Lady Tsunade, while he met with the third Hokage. The Kazekage observed the Jounin tournament and was surprised that a shadow wielder had joined the tournament in his twenties. The Kazekage had dismissed the person as too old and was astonished when the person's shadow lifted from the ground to strangle his opponent. The opponent had, too, underestimated the shadow wielder, much to his dismay.

The shadow wielder was called Nara Shikaku and his bloodline limit had amazed the Kazekage. After all, the shadows provided absolute control of the prey and the Kazekage coveted that control.

The next fight of Shikaku was an awaited event but it never happened. The shadow wielder was nowhere to be found and the next time the Kazekage saw him was in the hospital. Shikaku wasn't injured but his wife Yoshino was in labor.

The Kazekage's wife was also in labor. Their baby was three weeks ahead of schedule and Lady Tsunade had assured them that it was time. The child was beautiful and blonde but female. The Kazekage was furious. The medic in Suna had reassured him that his firstborn would be male.

When Karura woke up, Lady Tsunade presented to her a beautiful, dark haired, male child. Karura had seen for the first time her first born and sighed in relief. After all, she knew that a female child would have been killed.

TBC

—o0o—

A/N: This is an AU. Shikatema shares the same birthdate in this.

And yep the shadow jutsu differs greatly from canon…it having a bloodline limit.

 

—o0o—

~12/11/10, 5/19/11, 3 11 13AF RP2 25 17~

 


	2. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

A girl of about seven smiles towards her father, saying, "Otosan, I was able to do it. I beat Tenten with the shuriken throw!"

Her father has two scars on his face— one across the right side of his forehead and the other on his right cheek. He also has a beard on his chin. These should have made him appear unkindly but, with his smile, he shows how proud he is of his daughter and he affectionately tries to ruffle her blonde hair. "Hai! Your mother and I knew you could do it, Temari."

Temari's hand went to her hair. Her father's action has loosened her single ponytail. She always makes sure that her hair is tied up neatly in a spiky ponytail just like her father's. Her smile suddenly dims when she remembers something.  _"Otosan?"_

"Hmn?" Her father can sense her agitation.

"Why is my hair blonde?…But both yours and mom's hair are the darkest brown. It's almost like black."

"Did they tease you again at school, Temari?" her father asks then not waiting for an answer, he shouts for his wife,  _"Oi, Yoshino,_  your daughter is asking again why is her hair blonde. What should I answer this time?" Shikaku would like to reassure his daughter himself that her hair color doesn't matter. Just look at her classmate, Sakura. Sakura's hair—it's pink but does it bother her friend? _No._ But he had already told Temari that and she responded that in Sakura's family some other member has pink hair as well.

Temari glares at her father. "Ok fine. Treat my question as a joke. How about this? Why can't I do any Shadow jutsu?"

"Temari, let's wait for your mother. She'll answer that one too." Shikaku grins.

_"Gah! Otosan,_ I'm serious," Temari sighs in exasperation before she frowns at her father. "I've been practicing like you told me but I can't do anything with my shadow!"

_"Tch._ Maybe you're trying too hard. When I was your age I just liked to nap," Shikaku pats his daughter on the back.

_"I tried that too!"_ Temari insists.

"Hmn, maybe you were just pretending to nap. You must empty your thoughts and just relax then, when you're not stressed out, it will come to you," Shikaku advises.

"What kind of strategy is that?" Temari complains. "Where is Okasan anyway? I'm hungry."

—o0o—

_"What the—"_ The boy with untied, overly long, brownish black hair is sleeping on a bed of sand being sheltered by a big boulder of rock from the sun, when suddenly he is awakened by the creaking sound made by a puppet. "Kankuro!"

The boy then hears soft laughter coming from behind the boulder. He mumbles,  _"Tch,_ troublesome," before speaking nonchalantly his threat. "If I catch you, I will tear your puppet, Karasu, into pieces."

The laughter subsides and the creaking sound also disappears. The boy closes his eyes again when suddenly something jumps down towards him from the boulder. The boy is quick enough to prevent the puppet from descending on him by rolling to his side, away from the boulder.

The boy immediately stands up, makes a succession of quick hand seals then utilizes the boulder's shadow in capturing the puppet Karasu. The shadow elongates then divides into six separate hands. It is fast enough that Karasu has a hard time dodging the six hands.

Finally, immobilized by the shadow's several hands, the puppet tries to free itself from Shikamaru's control. Then, after a few minutes, one of its appendages successfully frees itself and throws several kunai towards Shikamaru's direction all at once. Shikamaru crouches to the left then right. When one kunai almost whizzes through next to his left eye, he is unable to sustain his hold on the puppet anymore.

The puppet breaks free and goes behind the boulder. Shikamaru then argues calmly, "Kankuro, I'm not playing games with you. Asks Gaara if you want to spar with someone."

"Big bro, don't spout nonsense! Do you want me killed?" A voice sniggers. Then the creaking sounds from the puppet Karasu resume and get stronger.

Shikamaru sighs. He makes several hand seals then he walks towards the other side of the boulder. "You are now caught, Kankuro."

"Am not," Kankuro springs from inside Kuroari, another puppet with a barrel-like body that is actually used to trap opponents. The Kankuro caught by the shadow disappears in a puff of smoke. The real Kankuro is controlling Karasu's appendages, making them extend out, attempting to seize his big brother. His big brother, however, is able to jump from one place to another trying to elude the puppet extensions until he finally notices he is now far away from the boulder's shadow.

"Tch, who the hell taught you to use your brain when you're fighting?" Shikamaru complains. They are in the desert where only sand can be seen in every direction. Without the boulder's shadow, his little body alone cannot provide sufficient shadow to stretch and hold on properly to Karasu.

"Your fault, Kamaru-niisan," Kankuro gleefully mocks his big brother.

Shikamaru, wearing a green robe on top of his black shirt, knows he can remove his robe and make it into a parachute to create more shadow but it's too troublesome. "So you win. Now get out of here. I'm gonna take a nap," mutters Shikamaru as he raises his hands in surrender but his face shows not hurt pride, but boredom.

_"You're no fun!"_ complains Kankuro.

Shikamaru just shrugs his shoulders and goes back to his usual sleeping spot. "If you really want to get stronger, fight Gaara."

Kankuro glares at his brother. __"_ Yeah, right!_ I'll probably need your help if I'm fool enough to challenge him."

Shikamaru shrugs again. "Don't include me in your funeral," he drawls then he slumps down and closes his eyes.

Kankuro glares intently at the body content to lie on the sand all day. His last words before he turns his back are,  _ _"_ You're useless!"_

—o0o—

Shikamaru hears Kankuro's parting shot.

_Tch._ He can pretty much sum himself up with one word…  _Useless._ His brother is so right, he’s useless.

Stretched on the sand, Shikamaru opens his eyes to stare at the sky. The sky is so blue that it hurts to look at it. Sometimes he wishes for a few clouds to make the seemingly endless sky less harsh.

Shikamaru's eyes drift close and the next thing he hears is his father's voice reprimanding him for being unable to control his shadows. Then his mother, Karura would intervene on his behalf, saying he's just a boy, too young to be able to do what his father asks him to.

"You're going to be a strong shinobi someday, Kamaru," his mom would smile and Shikamaru would smile back.

"Just like dad, mom?" he excitedly asks.

"No son. You're going to be better than your father." Karura's smile seems not to reach her eyes.

His mom's smile is fast disappearing. Then he sees her crying and shouting at his father, _"You will not do that to my child!"_

"I can and I will. It's too late for it to be Kamaru," the Fourth Kazekage removes his wife's pleading arms from around his own. "My third son will be the ultimate weapon of Suna."

_"You are going to make him into a monster!_ I will not allow you to do it," Karura promises in a voice that has the strength of her convictions.

Little Shikamaru watches this from his secret corner. Someday he is going to be a strong shinobi. His mother told him so and he swears he is going to protect her.

But his mother continues to cry. And the day she stops crying, Gaara is born. Shikamaru is almost three. He is still considered weak but the reason for him to get stronger is gone…

His mother is gone.

The seven year old Shikamaru wakes up from his troubled sleep. The sands of Sunagakure still surround him while its harsh blue sky encloses him.

—o0o—

~12/12/10,5/19/11 RP 2 28 17~

 

 

 


	3. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

" _Ino, what the hell?_ We are going to Suna, not on a vacation. What's with all that junk?" Temari looks at Ino's bulky backpack and overfilled hand pouch. "Knowing you, you can't possibly carry all that all the way to Suna."

"Don't worry, Temari. I already asked Choji to help me with it." Ino smiles confidently at the other girl on the team after nodding to the third member who is busy munching barbecue chips.

Temari frowns at her teammate who like her and Choji is a twelve year old but unlike them, thinks the next few days will be easy. "It's a three day walk."

"Let's get going then," replies Ino excitedly. She starts to step away from her house. Temari and Choji actually met her at her home and they plan to walk together towards the Konoha gate to wait for Asuma-sensei.

"If those bags slow us down, we're going to have to get rid of them," Temari threatens Ino, who is already marching jauntily away.

"It's fine, Temari. I'll help her with it," Choji speaks after opening his second bag of barbecue-flavored chips. He has eaten his breakfast but that was an hour ago, even before the sun made an appearance, so now he's hungry.

Temari scowls, "You spoil her, Choji."

Ino glances backwards and notices Temari's annoyed appearance. She flicks her long blonde hair and grins, eyeing the big folding fan strapped on Temari's back. Ino suddenly retraces her steps towards her teammate and when she reaches her, she whispers "I told you, womanly wiles are effective," then adds as an after-thought, "You should let me do your hair sometime."

Temari develops a twitch on her temple. __"_ INO, I WON'T LET YOU TOUCH MY HAIR EVER AGAIN!"_

"Why ever not? You looked pretty. Asuma-sensei even remarked on it," Ino recalls teasingly.

Temari is reminded of the one time she allowed Ino to remove her lone ponytail and arrange her shoulder-length blonde hair to frame her face. "Oh yeah… _after_  Sasuke commented I looked weird."

"Don't mind Sasuke. He's stupid just like his friend Naruto," Ino pouts.

"I meant it, Ino," growls Temari before striding ahead of her teammates. She reaches the huge Konoha gate first and silently fumes. Then after waiting for over two and a half hours for Asuma-sensei at the gate, Temari's well known temper, which already has a jumpstart, is about to boil over. Temari stomps her foot once and then turns to leave.

"Hey, Asuma-sensei isn't here yet. _Where are you going?"_ Ino shouts at Temari's back. "We're supposed to wait for him here at the gate!"

"I'm going ahead. You two wait for him," Temari replies, impatience and resolve apparent in her tone of voice.

 _ _"_ Temari!"_ Ino sounds scandalized. "It was you who said we are not going on a picnic. It won't be safe to travel alone to Suna and Asuma-sensei will be mad."

"Yeah, Temari. You might meet the other participants for the Chuunin exam. There's no telling what they'll do to you," Choji adds, worried.

"They can't possibly do anything to me," Temari reassures her teammates smugly. Her right hand goes to her back to touch her large folding fan as if making sure that it is still there. After caressing her fan, Temari smiles at Ino and Choji. Then she turns her back on them and, against her friends shouting, the girl starts to run and pick up speed.

—o0o—

Temari has already traveled for almost three days. At first, she is jumping from one familiar giant tree branch to the next but, after a day or so, there is a dramatic change of scenery. The sky isn't covered by big leaves anymore. Instead Temari has been running under the brilliant sun and over the hot sand for more than a day now as she nears Suna. She's exhausted.

Not a single tree with its shade in sight, unlike in Konoha, where she can rest. So when her vision reveals a big boulder of rock in the horizon, her cocky smile returns. She runs faster towards that direction. When she reaches it she removes her weapon, the tessen, from her back. She then slumps down, and sits cross legged using the boulder as a backrest. Temari lets out an appreciative sigh for the boulder's shade, making her skin feel less warm. Her yukata, which reaches only her mid thigh, and short pants are inadequate protection against the sun. The yukata is of purple color and has the Nara clan symbol on the back.

She has taken out a bottle of water and drinking slowly from it, making sure she doesn't consume all the content with haste, when she hears another person's sigh. She gazes towards her right then to her left side then upwards just to make sure. Nobody is there, just sand as far as the eyes could see and a clear blue sky. She sits tensely for a while. She distinctly heard that sigh. It couldn't be the wind. There's no wind to speak of. Then she feels it, another person's chakra, just one but it seems the person is trying to hide it.

Temari then hears someone speak, "I know that you know I am here. I swear if I catch your puppet, it's good as dead." The voice speaks of death but it sounds unemotional— _cold_ even.

Temari feels something crawls through her spine. It's a mixture of fear and adrenaline. She grabs her tessen and slowly, silently seeks the owner of the voice. She goes around one side of the boulder, she plans on trying to sneak behind the other shinobi's back, but that plan, Temari knows, has flaws.

" _Tch,_  I'm not going to play your dumb games. I only have until today to do this before the Chuunin exam starts tomorrow so I won't take kindly to these interruptions."

Temari hears clearly the threat given. She opens her tessen up to one round star, preparing for battle. She crosses that part of the boulder that hides the owner of the menacing voice from view and…

And then, she discovers a lanky looking youth, sprawled negligently on the ground.

The boy senses her eyes on him and tries to sit up fast, grumbling,  _ _"_ Who the hell are you?" _

The youth has dark, shoulder length hair falling in disarray around his thin face. Even with large tinted glasses covering his eyes, his surprise is still evident.

Temari stares uncomprehendingly.  _This is the person who caused her to have shivers run down through her spine? It’s so fucking unbelievable. He doesn't even look remotely threatening—even with those glasses that probably protect his eyes from the sun and the untamed hair that also obscures most of his face. Even with his tanned skin, he doesn't look half menacing as she imagined._

Temari then starts to laugh.

"What's so funny?" The boy frowns, his calm voice slightly laced with irritation.

 _"You.”_  Temari guffaws, “I thought I was gonna face a cold-blooded killer but instead I got _you."_

 _"Tch."_ The boy's voice is now aggravated. "Good thing you are female. Otherwise, I will have to fight you for that remark."

Temari's laughter stops only to give way to her smirk. _"What?”_ she mocks, “You're admitting you're actually afraid of fighting a female?"

 _ _"_ You!” _In exasperation, the boy's right hand runs through his hair, pushing the fall of dark strands away on one side of his face. “I ask you again, _who the hell are you?"_

Suddenly getting a better view of the boy's face for half a second, Temari is bewildered. "You look oddly familiar."

 _"Tch,_  of course, I look familiar,” grunts Shikamaru, “I'm the Kazekage's first son. Now, for the third time, who are you?"

She's sure that's not it but she’s not that interested enough to care. After all, nobody in Konoha gives a shit about the Kazekage's children. Temari just shrugs. "Nara."

"Nara-san, peo—" the boy starts to speak again using his bored monotone, only to be interrupted.

"Alright, it's Temari. You sound like you are addressing my mother," Temari snaps _ _._ The boy looks harmless to her. What could he do with her name anyway? Furthermore, he'll probably just discover it during the Chuunin exam._

The youth sighs at the interruption. "Temari, people are not allowed to trespass on this piece of land."

 _ _"_ Really?" _Temari mocks. "And who is gonna stop me? _You?"_

Shikamaru shrugs and answers nonchalantly, "Yes."

Temari laughs. "I don't think you can."

"I can. But I wouldn't want to waste my energy on opponents who are all bark and no bite," the boy now speaks calmly as if he is actually bored by the conversation. "You do sound like a bitch but in the end males would still overpower females."

 _"Why, you bastard!"_  Temari is actually incensed by the other nin's chauvinistic attitude.

The boy yawns and glances at Temari from her face to the soles of her sandals then back again to her face. "You probably think you're strong," he continues, his tone serious and composed. "You're probably one of those nins who boast of their skills before a fight but in the end..." the boy pauses and stares at the girl's head protector which is tied loosely around her neck, "staying home would have been better."

 _"That's it!"_ Temari opens her fan to two round stars. She waves it, creating a massive air tide which carries particles of sand towards the boy.

The boy covers his face with his two forearms and, while standing, tries to withstand the ongoing air attack. His clothes, especially his light brown robe that reaches almost to his knees, flap in the wind. His hair is flown every which way and the sand also whirls around him. "Is this the best you've got?"

Temari has grown more annoyed. She opens her fan to three round stars and creates a bigger air wave. One of the boy's feet is pushed backward then the other one. Finally, he is thrown three meters into the sky and lands about six meters away. Temari smirks, folds her huge fan and leans on it. _"All bark?"_

The boy hits the sand with his back. He groans then sits up, rubbing his back and with his glasses gone, he glares at the girl. "Did anybody ever tell you, _you're troublesome?"_


	4. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's super when people show proof that they are reading this. Thank you.

****Chapter** ** ****3** **

__"_ Watch out!" _Shikamaru runs towards Temari, throwing his glasses away and, upon reaching her just in time, he puts his arms around her. Shikamaru then demands of the younger boy, "Stop it Gaara!"

But Gaara's sand just continues to crawl up to envelop Temari's legs and even Shikamaru's. When the sand has reached their torsos, the pain caused by the pressure being exerted by the sand on their bodies becomes too excruciating.

Temari doesn't whimper, not even once, but Shikamaru can still read the fear in her eyes even though she tries to hide it. Shikamaru tightens his hold on her and insists, his voice calm but with a slight edge of anger, "Gaara, let go."

"You let her go Nii-san, or I will kill you too," Gaara speaks, his voice cold, his eyes devoid of any emotion and his hand in a half clench position, ready to be closed into fist.

—o0o—

_Days prior..._

The last part of the Chuunin examination is to be held in an enclosed area where the desert landscape varies from sand dunes to large boulders of rocks. Some areas are dotted with poisonous cacti and shrubs. The area is also teeming with deadly scorpions, snakes, lizards and centipedes. The blistering sun and the cold nights and the fact that the participants have a limited supply of water make the situation doubly hard.

The remaining genins who are able to reach this part are grouped into a three-man cell. Each team is given either a Heaven or Earth scroll. Their goal is to take the scroll that is not the same as theirs from the other team by any means necessary. There are only six teams remaining. They are not aware that only one team has the Heaven scroll so in the end only one team will actually win this round. Each team will enter at six different gates of the enclosed area. Whatever group has the complete set of Heaven and Earth scrolls must reach the tower found in the center of the enclosed area within the next three days.

Temari's team includes Ino and Choji. Temari has known them for the past twelve years and she grudgingly calls them her friends— even Ino. Temari realizes that her team is not the strongest and she needs a good strategy in order to come out on top from this.

"Ino, remember the boy I fought with when I arrived here?" Temari asks, a grain of an idea forming.

"Yeah. The one you said who has the same eyes as your father. _What about him?"_

"Didn't you see his team? I think I saw him lounging on a chair while I joined the line for our scroll."

"So that was him. He was not just lounging on the chair. He was actually sleeping, nodding his head off. So I didn't actually see his face, much less his eyes. Another boy with face paint came closer to him though and kicked one of the chair's feet. That caused him to gave out a yelp then he turned at the person who kicked his chair probably to glare at him and amazingly went back to sleep," narrates Ino with laughter. "I think that boy who kicked the chair was younger though since I heard him call the sleeping nin, _'big bro'."_

Choji pauses from delivering a morsel of barbecue flavored chips into his mouth. "He did not yelp Ino. He just shouted,  _'Whada hell!'."_

"Choji, that's the same as yelping," Temari replies. "Did you see the third member?"

"Yeah. He looks 'bout ten years old. He has a tattoo on his forehead that says love. That's cute!" Ino half squeals then continues much more seriously, slight frown marring her forehead. "I think the sleeping nin and the nin with the face paint are his older brothers but they don't seem to give him any attention. _Poor kid!_ He is actually standing there quite aloof with his hands crossed on his chest and carrying that very large gourd on his back. He really looks lone-ly even thought he tries to hide it by being so stone-faced. He has also dark rings underneath his eyes. I think he's unable to sleep because of the Chuunin exams."

"The boy I fought with is actually good with taijutsu. He seems to have noticed that I actually prefer to fight at a distance with my fan. Since he knows the lay of the land he was able to disappear on me and when he appeared next he engaged me in hand-to-hand combat. He was able to dodge my fist and I was able to avoid most of his attacks but, well..." Temari reddens.

"Well what?" Ino asks, a bit perplexed.

"Never mind," Temari scowls. She remembers the boy had clenched his right hand into a fist and was about to strike her when he suddenly stumbled because his left foot caught on a midsized rock. Unfortunately, his momentum had also caused her to fall down underneath him. He fell with his face on top of her breast. She's just twelve but she has already an ample two bumps on her chest for her age. The boy had turned a deep shade of red, immediately stood up and declared it was an accident. She believed him, of course, but, at the time, she was so embarrassed she hit him several times with her fan. The boy just covered his head with his arms and did not try to move from his position or to retaliate. When she realized that she stopped hitting him.

"So what's the plan?" Choji's turns to ask, upon finishing his snack.

"We are going to look for that lazy ass' team and steal their scroll. We can do it since I think their team is composed of a lazy jerk, a clown and a baby," Temari confidently deduces, trusting Ino's assessment.

"Temari, I think they are the Kazekage's sons."  Choji voices his doubts, "Everyone is giving them a wide berth. They should be formidable opponents."

"Temari, the youngest brother doesn't look like he wants to be here...to fight. I think he just joined in because his brothers' team lacks another member. We have only to worry about the two."

"I am sure I can take on the lazy ass. So the guy with the face paint is the one we should look out for."

"Yeah. Okay," Ino nods her agreement.

Choji frowns but he doesn't say anything.

—o0o—

"I will never let go," Shikamaru declares with certainty, his tone even.

"Why?" Gaara asks simply. "What is she to you that you are willing to save her by gambling with your own life?"

"She's a...a friend." Shikamaru hasn't really asked himself that question and, now that it's raised, he realizes that the answer is  _he just has to._ It's his instinct.

"If she is your friend, why did she want to steal our scroll?" Gaara stares at his older brother. "She tried to betray you. How could you trust her after this?"

" _Tch,_ it's not important whether she'll betray me again or not. What is, is that she knows she could trust me not to let her die. _Now, let us go!"_ Shikamaru raises his voice, his attention towards Gaara and ignoring the stiffening of the female body in his arms.

Gaara looks at his oldest brother's fierce eyes. He reads in them the truth of his words.  _His niisan is finally showing to him something that he’s unfamiliar with. ..Is that what others call compassion? Or simply, his brother has finally found someone he knows he must protect?…Unlike him._

Gaara opens his hand and the sand retreats from creeping up Temari's and his brother's necks.

Temari may have fallen on her knees to the ground as she is freed from the sand's grip if not for the boy's arms around her since her legs feel like jelly.  

She drops her gaze rather than look at the lanky youth she had met and fought with before the start of the Chuunin exam as she pushes him away. Then she leans over, placing each of her palms on top of her knees, gasping for air. The boy stands more erect, though his breathing is also labored. He stares at his kid brother and, for the first time, sees not a monster.

—o0o—

~12/30/10 RP 3 1 17~

 


	5. Chapter 4

****Chapter** ** ****4** **

Temari removes her palms from her knees and straightens her stance. "What the hell are you doing?" she demands from the boy beside her.

"Saving you," the boy replies.

"I don't need to be saved," Temari almost snaps.

"You're troublesome,” the boy argues, “Even Jounin level nins can't fight Gaara."

__"_ What's your name?" _Temari questions, her curiosity fueled by a more practical reason; that of knowing the identity of the person who saved her and her team.

" _Your friend_ doesn't know your name, big bro?" Kankuro sniggers, obviously listening to their conversation and having fun on his brother’s behalf.

__"_ Shut up!" _Shikamaru addresses Kankuro, seeming to lose his cool at last.

Temari approaches the boy's youngest brother. "Here," Temari extends her right hand to give to Gaara the Heaven scroll.

Gaara looks at the item and then turns around and strides away without taking it.

When Gaara has walked a few meters away, Temari expels a sigh of relief. She approaches the unconscious Ino and shakes her after crouching besides her. Ino remains still but obviously breathing. She has sustained a gnash on her head and several bruises on her body where Gaara's sand pummeled her. The cut on Ino's forehead worries Temari, as it continues to bleed. Temari using a kunai, cuts a long strip from the seam part of her yukata. She uses the hacked cloth to apply pressure on Ino's forehead. Afterwards, Temari glances towards where Choji is lying on the ground about five meters away.

Temari notices that the boy has approached her other teammate.

When Shikamaru has reached Temari's other teammate, he notices that the rotund boy lying on the sand is groaning but his eyes still remain closed. "Oi, Kankuro, let's help her team get medical help," he instructs.

" _Your friend_ is looking daggers at you, big bro. I think she can manage from here," Kankuro glances at Temari, his eyes observing her every move.

Shikamaru straightens up from squatting beside the nin called Choji then he faces Temari. "You shouldn't underestimate your opponent." He doesn't need to add,  _'This is what happens if you do'._

"I didn't underestimate you. Just your brother." Temari glares at the lanky boy who now stands with his shoulders slouched. "You and that guy," she says, jerking her head towards the nin with face paint, "The one you're calling Kankuro, didn't even lift a hand to help your brother."

"That's because we don't need to. Gaara could have easily taken your's and your friends' lives. But he did not. You're luckier than others," Shikamaru speaks, his tone back to being indifferent.

Temari is looking up at the boy from her position of sitting on her heels to better apply pressure on Ino's head. "If you are waiting for my gratitude—"

"I'm not," Shikamaru cuts her off, his tone of voice showing that he means it. His eyes bore into Temari's.

"You have it anyway." Temari's lips lift at the corners ever so slightly. After making sure that the wound on Ino's head has stopped bleeding, she stands up and advances towards the oldest of the Kazekage’s three sons, one arm outstretched. "Here, you can have this. It was actually you who deserve it," Temari offers the Heaven scroll to him.

Shikamaru just stares at Temari before taking the proffered scroll.

—o0o—

~12/30/10, 6 3 11 RP 3 1 17~

 


	6. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

After the Chuunin exam it is announced that only the first born of the Kazekage is awarded the title of Chuunin. The Daimyo has agreed but the Kazekage himself may have voiced a different opinion.

Asuma-sensei, the leader of Temari's team, is left alone to watch the awarding program at the Suna stadium since both Ino and Choji are injured and are recuperating at the Suna hospital. Temari is with them to make sure that the Suna medic will take  _good_ care of her team mates.

The other sensei from Konoha, such as Kakashi and Gai, have opted for their team members to participate in the Chuunin exam next time since it will be held in Konoha instead. With Sasuke, a member of Kakashi's team, being hunted by Orochimaru, Kakashi-sensei has decided it's safer not to travel to Suna in the meantime while Gai-sensei, without his rival, sees no point in going to Suna ahead of Kakashi. Whereas Kurenai-sensei became suddenly sick and unable to travel hence her team isn't able to go to Suna. Kurenai is actually the reason why Asuma is a bit late meeting his team that day on their way to Suna.

Asuma catches a fleeting glimpse of the first born when the boy has approached the Kazekage on the stage during the awarding. Because of the distance, Asuma notices only that the twelve year old boy has long dark hair framing his face and reaching up to his shoulders; together with the tinted glasses the boy is wearing, they effectively obscure his face.

The boy walks with a slouch with both hands shoved in his robe's pockets. The brown robe he is wearing reaches almost to his knees. It's unbelted to reveal a white shirt underneath and black pants that go down to his mid-calf. There's a pouch tied around his right thigh. While the Suna head protector coiled around his right wrist has only became visible when he raises the said hand for a second to wave just once to acknowledge the people watching.

The Sunan civilians and some nins seem to scoff at the first born's increase in rank and a few brave ones have even shouted ' _boo'_  when the first son has raised his hand in acknowledgement.

After that the excitement for the Chuunin exam winds down but the people are still talking about the new Chuunin and his brothers. The people seem to disregard mentioning his or his younger sibling's name preferring to call them the Kazekage's first and second son except the third one, people call him Gaara.

Gaara's name comes up frequently in conversations, most of the times in hushed tones. The first born, it seems, has already been overshadowed by the youngest and it is said that the position of being the next Kazekage is already reserved for the youngest.

Asuma has observed everything, that how the Sunan people seem to ignore the first born and even more so the second son's existence but appear to be fearful of the third brother.

-o0o-

"Lazy ass!" Temari mumbles to herself, obviously irritated.

Ino grins from her hospital bed. "You still don't know his name, huh."

"Shut up!" Temari glares at her childhood friend. Not wanting to blame anyone but herself. Temari realizes that, if not for the lazy Genin who is now a Chuunin, she and her friends would have turned into mush right now. "Gah, I can't believe I owe him something!"

"I don't think he's gonna collect it though," Choji mentions reassuringly. He is seated on the bed with a table in front of him laden with roasted chestnuts. Temari had discovered the nuts the first time she and Ino went to the Suna market five days ago and learned she likes its unique taste.

Choji and Ino share the same room as Temari requested it from the hospital. Temari is currently seated on the side of Choji's bed rather than Ino's for easier access of the chestnuts but with Choji's softly worded assurance, Temari's arm, which is extended to take a chestnut from the table, halts and she glowers at Choji too. "That's worse!" Temari pauses then speaks more vehemently, "I'm gonna repay him. I swear."

"Sure." Ino smiles; knowing voicing any doubt regarding the issue would turn Temari into a hard-hitting bitch. Ino loves her friend honest but there are times her friend takes competition a bit too far. Good thing they don't have the same taste in clothes and boys. Ino's smile widens. "But he's cute."

"What?" Temari is appalled by Ino's suggestion. "He is not cute. His hair is a bit too long and he covers his eyes with darkened glasses since I bet if he squints his eyes would disappear since they are so darn small. And he's so dark. He must be staying under the sun too much." And since she's being  _honest_ , Temari adds, "But alright for someone who does that he does smell nice," remembering the time she was embraced. Temari does a mental shake to erase the sudden memory.

Ino's smile goes down a notch. Temari has never described someone in that much detail before. Not even when the topic is Sasuke who Ino has a feeling Temari likes. Temari would just say a clipped word like 'Cool' when describing Sasuke and that's it. Ino personally thinks Sasuke is an obnoxious ass.

Even knowing this, Ino looks closer and notices a pink tinge on Temari's cheeks. "You like him too don't you?" Ino suddenly accuses.

" _What?_ You gotta be kidding me!" denies Temari, maintaining eye contact with Ino.

Reassured, Ino's smile gets bigger again. "Ok. I believe you. Since you're my friend and it's best to know right from the start that our friendship won't be ruined by some guy."

Temari rolls her eyes.

"Do you get the feeling he reminds you of someone?" Choji suddenly cuts into Ino's girly squeal, effectively changing the topic.

"You get that feeling too?" Temari swivels her attention to Choji.

"What do you mean? We haven't seen him before coming here so how could he—hey, can we give him a name please!—be familiar to you guys?" Ino asks bewildered.

"I did suggest Lazy ass. We will call him that. Beats calling him the First Born," Temari remarks; her forehead knotted into a frown. "So Ino, he doesn't look familiar to you?"

"No," Ino replies. "But I plan to be familiar with him." Ino gives Temari a wink. Choji notices and he continues to shove the chestnuts into his mouth at a faster rate.

—o0o—

~12/30/10-? RP 6 5 17~

 

 


	7. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

"So to whom do I owe this privilege of the first born escorting me in Suna?" the blonde Kunoichi sarcastically asks. In the one and a half years that have lapsed since the first time they saw each other, Temari has grown taller but the Kazekage's first born is now much taller than her. He's still lean but with more definable muscle on his upper arms and probably on his chest too but the loose-fitting robe he's wearing doesn't really reveal it. His dark hair has remained unkempt around his face and reaching almost past his shoulders. He has acquired more tan than before either from training or from napping under the sun, Temari surmises. He doesn't sport any darkened glasses but he still wears his forehead protector the same way, tied around his wrist and hidden by his robe sleeves.

" _Tch_ my father," the boy replies in a bored manner. He starts to walk, leaving the Sunagakure main gate and expecting Temari to follow him.

"Almost two years have passed and you're still the same lazy ass as before."

"Why? Were you expecting me to change?" The boy swivels his head towards Temari, now alongside him.

"I don't expect anything from you," Temari snaps. "Let's go meet your father and get this over with." Temari marches faster in the direction of the Suna tower.

"Father already told me the mission plan." Shikamaru does not hasten his pace. "Since the wanted nin is from Konoha but considering that he's actually stealing Suna's precious stones, both the Kazekage and your Hokage have decided that this should be dealt with nins from both sides." The Kazekage's son suddenly pauses midstride, appearing to be deep in thought. "I didn't realize you're the Chuunin they would send."

Temari turns around to face the boy. Her show of teeth makes her smirk more bashful. She pulls the hem of her green Chuunin vest at the waist calling attention to it. She's wearing the vest over her dark purple short sleeve shirt. She pairs it with the same coloured purple skirt which ends mid-thigh and fishnet stockings that are just slightly longer. The only thing that changed though is her clothes. The way she wears her hair is still the same—in a high single ponytail. "I meant to repay you so I volunteered when Neji is still recuperating from his last mission."

_"Tch."_ Shikamaru just nods his head. "So here's the plan: sooner or later the rogue nin will come out since he will need water. By my calculations he is probably staying in one of the rocky formations in the Southeast area. Now, the closest oasis is about 50 kilometres away from there, making that oasis too near and too obvious that that's where we will look for him. There's another smaller oasis that has almost dried out about 150 kilometres away to the south. He is probably getting his supplies from there since most people would think that that oasis is dry. We will hold the ambush in that area."

"Why don't we just look for him wherever he is staying? In the Southeast area you say. Waiting for him to come out at someplace where he might or might not go may turn out to be futile."

"Have you ever hidden yourself in a desert before?"

"No."

"There's your answer. Looking for someone who is hiding in the desert is like looking for a needle in the sand. It's easy to disappear underneath because of the looseness of the ground. We have to sift through tons of dirt before we could find him. On top of that you are not used to Suna's extremely harsh environment. Whereas in an oasis we will be more comfortable and we won't need to look, just to wait."

Temari shrugs. At least now she knows why the lazy ass was so good at suddenly disappearing that time they first fought.

-o0o-

"Gah, we've been here for three days already. I told you Kamaru, he is not going to come," complains Temari, the lack of activity finally getting to her.

The boy suddenly turns his head towards Temari's direction. They are currently crouching low behind a rocky formation that has several grassy outgrowths dotting its surface. It's away enough from the shallow stream of water in the oasis that an incoming nin would not be able to sense them immediately but close enough for them to detect any one approaching. "So you know my name."

"I didn't ask around, if that's what you are thinking." Temari narrows her eyes, daring the boy to accuse her of prying. Although, she should have asked his name the first time they met but back then she was not interested and, furthermore, since the Sunan people just called him the 'First Born', she decided she prefers addressing him lazy ass. Temari doesn't have a problem calling him that, it is just...

"So you overheard it from someone's conversation." The boy has a 'ha' attitude that just makes Temari more defensive about knowing his name.

"I didn't eavesdrop either." Temari glares at Shikamaru, whose eyes are now disbelieving. "I didn't do it on purpose. A fat, stupid-looking civilian and her friend who looked as stupid as her were conversing while they were strolling along the street. I was going in the same direction as them!" Temari snaps at the boy, but when his face reveals nothing, she continues, "They were saying," Temari mimics a girly sounding voice, sarcasm dripping, "'I can't believe Kamaru is the only one who became a Chuunin.'" Then resuming her normal blunt voice, she admits, "...I might disagree with them though since I think you did alright with the Chuunin exam."

Shikamaru gazes at Temari. He knows she's grateful for what he did. "It's the name given to me by my mother."  _And Shikamaru is the name given to me by my father_ , the boy silently adds to himself. "I prefer Kamaru to Lazy ass, you know," he mentions nonchalantly.

"Oh but Lazy ass suits you better." Temari grins.

Shikamaru just stares at Temari, and then he brings his eyes down to Temari's smile. "Troublesome," he mumbles to himself.

-o0o-

"What the hell are you doing? Are you some kind of Lee's version in Suna?" Temari admonishes Shikamaru.

Shikamaru just glances in Temari's direction. Her remark doesn't make an iota of sense but he's busy dodging the enemy nin's water jutsu, so he plans on asking later who is Lee. The enemy nin blasts another continuous cascade of water towards Shikamaru. Using shadows to stop water seems impossible, since the water would just change shape and turn at will. He has to figure out a way to immobilize the enemy nin first.

The enemy abruptly smirks at Shikamaru, taunting him, but then he transfers his attention to Temari.

But the fan-wielding shinobi is more than ready for his attack. Temari is able to face the water blast wave with a wind blast wave of her own.

Water droplets appear everywhere, an opportunity Shikamaru doesn't miss. While Temari and the enemy nin are shielding their eyes from the water spray, Shikamaru creates a series of hand seals and uses the shadows cast by the numerous droplets of water to create a thin strand of shadow, so thin that it is almost invisible to the naked eye and uses it to fasten the enemy nin's feet to drag him suddenly underneath the spring which, because of the enemy's jutsu, has become deep. Once under the cover of water, Shikamaru tangles the cord-like shadow around the enemy's neck and pulls, cutting off the enemy's ability to breathe.

With water droplets still falling everywhere, Temari observes the enemy struggling underneath the water, but because of the thinness of the shadow and the murkiness of the water due to the enemy's thrashing, she could not really see what's happening. Temari raises surprised eyes to Kamaru. "I take it back. You're not like Lee."

"Who is Lee?" Shikamaru asks nonchalantly, releasing his hand seal and hence the enemy.

"A weirdo," Temari states straight faced. "He's still amazing though."

Shikamaru glares at Temari, unable to understand what she means which probably is a sly insult.

"Fine. I thought you _only_ know Taijutsu just like Lee. That proves me wrong though." Temari points towards the body of the enemy shinobi that is on the now shallow water of the spring. "How'd you do it, anyway?"

" _Tch._ With your help," Shikamaru states, staring at the body.

Temari isn't aware that she assisted Kamaru. "How exactly, did I do that?"

Shikamaru glances at Temari. "I don't think I should tell you. I'll be losing an advantage if I did."

Temari glowers at the boy. Their first mission together may be a success but personally Temari considers it a failure. She's still not debt-free from Kamaru.

—o0o—

~RP 6 5 17~

 

 


	8. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

"I'll be repaying you next time," Temari swears. Since that first mission together with the Kazekage's first born a year and a half ago against the water-weilding nin, Temari has always volunteered to be Konoha's representative to Suna during the Chuunin exams. Temari has since then travelled to Suna twice a year for an opportunity to pay back the man she knows as Sabaku no Kamaru for saving her and her team's life.

"Tch, you told me that too, last time." Shikamaru shrugs.

Temari glowers. "Next time tell your father you can take care of yourself so he can give you a more important responsibility with the Chuunin exam. This is the third time in a row we've been given the assignment of overseeing the Chuunin written exam. I don't know why I bother to walk for three days to supervise a bunch of kids trying to cheat their way out of the exam!" Temari exhales loudly in her exasperation. No opportunity for repaying Kamaru would ever present itself if all she and Kamaru do is spot for cheaters. As it is only a few of the Genins advance to the next round because of Temari's ability to detect the ones trying to copy from others, the answers.

"Why would  _I_  do that? You can ask the Kazekage to re-assign  _you_ to another function. Overseeing the written exam is fine with me," Shikamaru replies, boredom etched on his face.

"Well, let's see... I've been coming and going to Suna since our first mission together. That's for almost two years now and I still haven't met your father because your father seems to be allergic to Konoha nins." Temari stops walking towards the Suna gate to glare at Shikamaru.

"He's not allergic. He's just busy," Shikamaru reasons and just continues to walk, basically ignoring the fuming kunoichi.

"With what? Meeting me could only take five minutes of his time." Temari is doubtful that that's the reason. The Kazekage probably isn't overly concerned with Suna's relationship with Konoha and the presence of one Chuunin from Konoha supervising and lending a hand on the Chuunin exam isn't important enough to warrant his attention. Temari realizes this and starts to walk, following the other nin towards the gate. After the gate Temari will be on her own, on her three-day travel back to Konoha.

Shikamaru shrugs. "Father has his reasons."  _And I'm going to find it out,_ Shikamaru adds to himself,  _and even the explanation behind father's orders more than a year ago._

-o0o-

_One and a half years ago..._

"What's the name of the replacement nin from Konoha, Shikamaru?" the Fourth Kazekage asks suddenly, catching Shikamaru on his way up to his room.

Shikamaru has just arrived from his and Temari's first mission together. He's filthy and in need of a shower and, most of all, sleep but his father's question has woken him up. "Nara Temari, father," he answers, not showing his surprise. His father seldom seeks his presence to ask him questions he, as the Kazekage, already knows the answer to.

"I see." The fourth Kazekage stares at Shikamaru. "I'm giving you this mission then. You are to keep her close at all times next time she is here. Keep an eye on her but don't ever fight her and show her your jutsu. If you do, you have to kill her immediately," the Kazekage issues his orders with its threat.

"Yes, father," Shikamaru agrees, his face devoid of any emotion but his heart is pounding fast. He has not yet submitted the report that contains the information that during his and Temari's mission that just concluded yesterday, the kunoichi has already seen one of his abilities when he dragged the enemy nin underneath the water. Temari doesn't exactly understand what happened and Shikamaru is now sure that even with her lack of knowledge of what exactly happened would not save her from his father so he keeps his mouth shut. After all, even Gaara, the Kazekage's own son isn't safe from the Kazekage's orders of assassination.

Shikamaru knows the mission report has to be revised tonight.

—o0o—

~RP 6 5 17~

 

 

 

 

 


	9. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

"Lazy ass, do your share!" demands an irritated Temari after noticing that the young man who acts as her liaison in Suna is taking a nap with his head cradled by his arms on the table in front of her.

"Tch. I have already done it." Shikamaru lifts his head from his folded arms to nod towards the stacks of papers on another table in one corner of the Suna classroom where they are working.

"It's done?" Temari raises a brow.

"Yes," Shikamaru answers while stifling a yawn.

"Ok, you can have half of mine." Temari separates her stack of papers into two. These white sheets need to be checked for possible errors the genins might have committed. It's critical that a shinobi learns to gather not just any information but to recognize the correct one from the planted one.

"That's doing more than my share," Shikamaru complains.

"Are we really counting here?" Temari asks, raising her voice. She has already discussed it with the head jonin for the Chuunin Exam in Suna, for her to be reassigned to another department like the one involving the Heaven and Earth scroll or the actual sparring but he politely refused her request which pisses her off.

Shikamaru hears Temari's sarcasm and he still answers, "Yes."

Kamaru's casualness seems to show total disregard for Temari's frustration with being stuck with the paperworks. "I see…so for the next five times tell your Kazekage, we will do this in Konoha. That way it's your turn to travel for three days under the blistering sun and sleep out in the open." Temari knows the chance of this happening is zero even if the Kazekage agrees to it, the lazy ass would probably expire first before he can reach Konoha. A mental picture of Kamaru gasping for breath outside of the Konoha gates causes Temari's lips to lift at the corners, which she tries to subdue.

"Tch, I get it. Give me your half." Shikamaru extends his right hand towards Temari, noticing Temari's sadistic grin.

"Here." Temari gives about half of her documents to Kamaru. Kamaru accepts them and places them in front of him on the table then he, with both his arms folded over it, it made a high enough pillow for his head to rest upon.

Temari smacks Kamaru on the head with the rolled sheets. "Lazy ass, I said finish them. Not sleep on them."

"Tch, if I work on it now, I'll probably be done with it ahead of you then you'll ask me to do the half of your remaining work again," Shikamaru replies using his most reasonable tone.

"Why you? LAZY ASS! I'm not like you!" Temari is foaming in the mouth. "Give that back!" Temari tries to take the stack of papers underneath Kamaru's arms.

"Hey woman, watch it," Shikamaru warns as Temari suddenly and forcefully grabs the paper underneath his restraining arms and chin. His chin hits the wooden table when Temari successfully pulls the papers free. " _Ite!_ I didn't mean it like that you troublesome woman!" Shikamaru sits back straight and glares at Temari.

"You probably planned it that way so you wouldn't have to do any of this!" Temari shouts and waves the papers in front of Kamaru. "That's why you agreed to it easily," Temari continues, narrowing her eyes, scrutinizing the sixteen-year-old boy in front of her.

"Let me have that! That's now my half." Shikamaru grabs the files on one of its ends. He did not expect Temari to think he would do something like that.

"No! It's mine!" Temari holds onto the files and tugs at it to remove Kamaru's grip on the opposite end of the files.

"Oi woman, I said let go." Shikamaru draws the papers towards himself while trying to shake Temari's grasp on it.

"Go back to your nap, you lazy ass jerk!" Temari hauls the documents towards her.

"I'll go back to my rest after you hand me  _my_ papers," Shikamaru interjects as he pulls at the same papers.

"Never. Now, stop pulling or ...Now, look what you've done!" The documents rip in the center.

"Tch, you're the one pulling at it with that brute force of yours," Shikamaru argues with his composed and reasonable voice.

That voice irritates Temari more. "Jerk, if you did not accuse me of shirking my work, this wouldn't happen!"

"Woman, I did not accuse you of that!" Shikamaru did not, would not, ever accuse Temari of dodging her work.

"Here then fix it." Temari tries to give her half of the torn files to Kamaru.

"How am I gonna fix torn documents?" Shikamaru just looks at the documents still held by Temari then to the ones on his hands.

"You're the genius. You figure it out." Temari slaps the documents on the table and crosses her arms on her chest. She knows she's half responsible, but the only idea she could come up right now is to tape the two pieces of paper together.

"So now it's my job," Shikamaru mumbles, expelling his breath a bit louder than usual.

"Are you accusing me again?" Temari asks coldly.

"Tch, troublesome woman. Give it to me." Shikamaru takes Temari's half of the documents from the table and gives both halves a perusal.

Temari smirks.

Shikamaru sees Temari's lips lifting at the corners. "Tch, good thing these documents aren't registered under my name. These tear marks would still be visible after." Shikamaru inwardly smiles when he notices he has just wiped-off Temari's overbearing grin.

—o0o—

~11/15/10, 1/15/11, 7 2 11AF RP 7 27 17~


	10. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

"If it were Sasuke, he would not agree with just overseeing the written exam. You're so damn unmotivated!" Temari remarks peevishly. This trip is, again, a waste of her time and she doesn't mind letting Kamaru know of her displeasure.

An uncharacteristic furious look fleetingly passes over Shikamaru's eyes. He suddenly mutters angrily, "If you hate it so much, why do you keep coming here?" The hands in his pockets clench and his back straightens as he walks slightly faster towards the Suna gate. After all it is also his responsibility to see the Konoha kunoichi off.

"It's not because of  _you_ , if that's what you think! I told you before I don't like owing favours so, until it's cancelled, expect me to be here," Temari answers, her tone defensive.

"Tch, I told you not to bother about it. You are just being troublesome," Shikamaru quietly snaps; his tone quite even but it's apparent that he is more than mildly irritated.

Temari glares towards Kamaru, trying at first to match his faster thread. Even without the unexpected mulish tone of voice, that unusual pace alone indicates to Temari how much Kamaru must want to get rid of her. Temari halts in her stride and continues to look fiercely at Kamaru's back, noticing finally his tense shoulders.  _He must really hate me. It doesn't matter; I hate him more,_ Temari thinks, equally annoyed.

Shikamaru reaches first the opening between the two monoliths, the stairs-like boulders that is Suna's gate to the outside world. Shikamaru leans his back on the boulder and looks at the opposite one, waiting for the abnormally slow Temari. Shikamaru's expression has returned to his usual unbothered countenance.

Temari has now reached Kamaru, blocking his view of the opposite wall. "Oi Lazy, I said I'm going." She raises her voice to capture Kamaru's obviously wondering attention.

"Tch, bye," Shikamaru replies, ending his reverie. He then adds tonelessly, "I'll see you in five months."

Temari stares at the now composed young man then finally answers, "Yeah." Temari bites both her lips to stop her smile from showing, waves her hand, turns and is gone.

Shikamaru remains rooted on the spot, and travels back to the past.

The fourth Kazekage still doesn't receive any visitors from Konoha except the third Hokage. Either Shikamaru or Kankuro deals with the unwanted guests. Somehow there is a deeper reason for that than simple disrespect on the part of the Kazekage and Shikamaru thinks it revolves around Temari but he still can't place his finger on how exactly. Except for that talk with his father three years ago, his father has never broached the subject again.

Shikamaru trudges back towards the training ground. The area has several rock boulders and cacti and other shrubs from which shadows are cast. Shikamaru has long realized the inherent weakness of his jutsu and that, without shade, he is powerless.

Suna's landscape can be as barren as just sand in all directions. Growing up, in situations where there's no shadow to manipulate, Shikamaru has always relied on his intelligence but sometimes he needs Kankuro's puppets or Gaara's sand for the shade they cast.

It's just luck that, prior to that first mission with Temari, Shikamaru has discovered the _Invisible Shadow Thread Jutsu_ while utilizing the shadows cast by Gaara's hurling sand. After that first mission with Temari, wherein the enemy's jutsu had used water spurts, cascade and water bomb in which splashes of water were abundant and after that talk with his father regarding his assassination mission, Shikamaru has farther improved the jutsu to the point that it's almost invisible. However, there are several requirements for the jutsu to work. First, the shadow source should be moving and, second, the source particle should be small. The tinier the source of the shadow, the thinner he could mould the shadow into threads.

Shikamaru has only to clutch a fist of sand and fling it out and Temari would probably unwittingly keep it moving in the air. But in a way that is the weakness of his jutsu, he needs someone to keep the particles afloat. So far in the only mission he and Temari had together, Temari had unknowingly helped him with the water sprays.

He needs to overcome that flaw of his technique, so he trains. He can't, after all, predict when it might be needed for him to do more than check and mend Genin papers. With Temari growing grouchier with their responsibilities in the Chuunin exams, he should be prepared. Considering that it is still paramount that Temari shouldn't see how his jutsu works.

Shikamaru grabs a fist of sand and hurls it high upwards. The tiny light brown particles obstruct the sun as they slowly fall to the ground. Shikamaru has already timed it perfectly; before the last grain of sand hits the ground, he is already kicking the loose earth to sustain his Invisible Shadow Thread hold on a rabbit that has innocently caught his attention. Shikamaru mercilessly twists the furry animal's neck and breaks it.

And Sasuke... _Sasuke_ is just probably someone like Lee, right?

—o0o—

~1/29.2/16/11, 7/5/11AF RP7 28 17~

 


End file.
